The National Assembly kicked off its 20-day audit of government agencies Wednesday, with the Moon Jae-in administration's policies on North Korea and the economy likely to come under scrutiny.This year's audit will be the first full-fledged evaluation for the Moon government, which took office in May last year with pledges to seek engagement with North Korea and push for income-driven growth.Fourteen out of 17 parliamentary standing committees will examine the performance of 734 government agenc

LYON, France (AP) — European security chiefs struggled over solutions to the migrant crisis and oversaw a simulated terrorist attack on a stadium Tuesday, with US Attorney General Jeff Sessions looking on.Elite police forces staged the anti-terrorism exercise in the French city of Lyon as part of meetings of interior ministers of six European countries plus Morocco. Sessions didn’t speak publicly at the event. (AP)Countering terrorism, including dealing with the return of foreign fighters from S

The world's top two female golfers will play together this week in the opening round of the only annual LPGA tournament in South Korea.Park Sung-hyun of South Korea and Ariya Jutanugarn of Thailand, ranked Nos. 1 and 2 in the world, will be in the final group in Thursday's first round of the LPGA KEB Hana Bank Championship at Sky 72 Golf Club's Ocean Course in Incheon, 40 kilometers west of Seoul, the tour announced Wednesday. Park Sung-hyun of South Korea speaks at a press conference ahead of t

Nearly four out of 10 South Koreans have an average household debt of 80 million won ($70,690), an increase of 3.3 percent from a year ago, according to figures from a credit information provider.The data, provided by National Information & Credit Evaluation Inc. to ruling party lawmaker Kim Byung-wook for parliamentary inspection, showed that 19 million people, or 37 percent of the country's population, had household debts as of the end of June this year. Their lending totaled 1,531 trillio

WASHINGTON (AP) — In the latest shake-up for President Donald Trump’s turbulent administration, UN Ambassador Nikki Haley abruptly announced Tuesday she is resigning at the end of the year, raising fresh questions about the Trump team and about the outspoken diplomat’s own political ambitions.The news blindsided some key US allies and many congressional Republicans involved in foreign policy matters. And it came less than a month before congressional elections, thwarting White House efforts to p

South Korean boy group BTS ranked 24th on the Billboard's main albums chart with its latest album, "Love Yourself: Answer," according to the chart, which was updated on Tuesday.The album was up a notch on the Billboard 200 for the week of Oct. 13 from last week's 25th and has now been on the list for six weeks since it debuted in the top spot on its release on Aug. 24. (Yonhap)It was BTS' second No. 1 on the highly competitive album chart, following the "Love Yourself: Tear" extended player, mak

North Korea and China have discussed cooperation in the sports sector, the North's state media said Wednesday, in the latest sign of improving ties."There was an exchange of views on interchange and cooperation between the sports sectors of the DPRK and China at the People's Palace of Culture on October 9," the Korean Central News Agency said in English, using the acronym for the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.The meeting was attended by Kim Il-guk, the North's

WASHINGTON -- A well-known North Korean defector said Tuesday that he hopes Pope Francis will pray for North Korean leader Kim Jong-un if the two men meet.Ji Seong-ho, who rose to prominence after being invited to US President Donald Trump's State of the Union speech this year, was commenting on news that Kim had invited the pontiff to visit Pyongyang. (Yonhap)"I am for the pope's visit to North Korea. I don't oppose that," he said during a forum here. "But I would like the pope to pray for the

The second US-North Korea summit will be held after the US midterm elections, with three or four locations being considered, US President Donald Trump said Tuesday.“I just can’t leave now,” Trump was quoted as saying aboard Air Force One, referring to his campaign activities that do not allow for a summit before the Nov. 6 elections. Earlier in the day at the White House, Trump also said that “three or four locations” are being considered by his staff, and once again stressed his vision of North

WASHINGTON -- The United States on Tuesday hailed North Korea's invitation of inspectors to a demolished nuclear test site as a "very good step" on the path to denuclearization.North Korean leader Kim Jong-un told US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo during their meeting in Pyongyang Sunday that outside inspectors would be allowed in to Punggye-ri to verify the facility's destruction in May, according to the State Department.The North carried out all six of its nuclear weapons tests at the facility

Rapper Kanye West has been invited to the White House.White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said Tuesday that West is scheduled to have lunch with President Donald Trump and meet with Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner. Sanders says they'll talk about manufacturing, prison reform, preventing gang violence and reducing violence in Chicago, where West grew up.The White House hasn't said when West will visit. In this Aug. 28, 2016 file photo, Kim Kardashian West (left) and Kanye West arrive at t

English pop star Sam Smith wowed audiences here as he staged his first concert in Korea on Tuesday.  Sam Smith performs at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on Tuesday. (Yonhap)Held in Seoul, Smith performed for an audience of around 20,000, according to Hyundai Card, the company that organized the concert.Smith told the audience it was his first visit to Korea, and added he would come back for another show. (Yonhap)The concert was part of his world tour that began in March in England and is set to fini

If you are listening to music, chances are you're on YouTube.A music consumer report by the industry's global body IFPI published on Tuesday found that 86 percent of us listen to music through on-demand streaming.And nearly half that time, 47 percent is spent on YouTube.Video as a whole accounted for 52 percent of the time we spent streaming music, posing challenges to such subscription services as Spotify and SoundCloud.But while Spotify's estimated annual revenue per user was $20, YouTube's wa

South Korea's 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics generated a financial surplus of at least $55 million, the International Olympic Committee has said, citing the head of the PyeongChang Organizing Committee.Lee Hee-beom made the announcement during his final report to the International Olympic Committee session in Buenos Aires. Short track speed skater Lee Jung-su (AFP-Yonhap)"We congratulate the Organizing Committee of the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018 for the organization of outstanding O

The Sorae Wetland Ecological Park, a group of former salt ponds in Incheon, is expanding its provision of wetland areas to support biodiversity. This project will cost around 3 billion won ($2.6 million), received from the Ministry of Environment, to expand its swamp and surrounding areas to 50,000 square meters to provide more support for wildlife and provide recreational areas for visitors by 2020, the city government said Wednesday. (Yonhap)The city is planning to restore mud flat and salt pl